The Cost of Love
by valiasedai
Summary: Lani Brosca fills in for one of her sister's assigned "sessions" with Beraht. This story has sexual content that falls under dubious consent, with some violence that may be considered BDSM. PLEASE DO NOT READ if you are concerned with triggering.


_AN: This story may potentially be triggering as there is sexual content that falls into the "dubious consent" category, as well as some violence (hence the BDSM warning). Please do not read if you are concerned with triggering!_

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Avoiding the desire to fiddle with the dress that didn't _quite_ fit, Lani kept her eyes focused on the toes of Beraht's boots. _She_ wasn't supposed to be here, Rica was. Rica had caught something and was barely able to get out of bed, much less service Beraht, and that was why Lani was standing in front of him, done up in a way she hadn't been since the night a particular merchant had lost his life at her hands. _And that's exactly why he probably thinks I'm going to try and kill him_. She wasn't the innocent little thing she'd been then. She'd been with a man since, men, to be honest, and she had no illusions about sex. It could be good, it could be bad, but for now, it could help save her sister _and_ herself while Rica got over whatever Stone-forsaken ailment plagued her. She finally dared a glance at her employer and he broke the silence.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Lani?" Beraht's eyes were half-lidded, but she could see the glint of anger in them. "Think I wouldn't notice you aren't Rica?"

Lani fought the urge to cringe. "N-no, Beraht, of course not. Rica's sick, though, and I thought I might..." She trailed off, realizing how stupid it sounded. Rica had been _trained_, as much as the thought churned Lani's stomach. She'd been taught things and knew how to draw pleasure out of a man. Lani had experience rutting around with drunken brands. She felt her cheeks burn hot with the shame of knowing that even if it _was_ whoring, she was doing a terrible job at it.

A low, mocking laugh erupted from Beraht and his girth moved with it. "Thought you'd play my whore for the night, did you?" He moved towards her and took her jaw in his hand. His fingers dug into cheeks as he jerked her head upwards to face him. Stifling the urge to fight back, to lash out, she shook her head as best as she could manage with his tight grip.

He pushed her away with a sound of disgust, and she nearly fell, only catching herself with the help of a nearby chair. "Rica said she was scheduled tonight. I thought I'd at least try... I didn't want you to think we were ungrateful." The words left a greasy feeling on her tongue. She hated debasing herself in front of the man, but he was putting food on her table and getting Rica into a position where she might have a chance at getting a better life for both of them, not just herself. However, until Rica was ready to actively court nobles and produced a male heir off of one, they belonged to Beraht.

Beraht eyed her up and down, gaze lingering on her breasts longer than others, and she saw the slightest smirk begin to form on his face. "So, you thought you'd give me something I haven't tasted yet? The little sister that was so _very_ adamant about not spreading her legs for pay now comes to me to do that very thing?"

Swallowing hard, Lani closed her eyes, trying to pretend she wanted this. Had it only been her own fate resting in the balance, she could have walked out now, or at least tried to take Beraht down herself. But she couldn't – not with Rica and her mother depending on her the way they did. Whatever Rica's future prospects might be, the cost of getting her to a presentable state had resulted in an almost endless stream of jobs for Lani. She'd worked hard, done her best, and Beraht had even increased her pay a little over the years. She couldn't throw that away for something as useless as pride – she loved her sister too much to ruin both of their lives. Trying to keep her voice level, Lani settled her eyes on Beraht's. "Yes."

He grabbed her again, this time seizing a handful of hair, wrenching her head back quickly enough to draw a small gasp of pain. She clenched her hands in her skirts and willed herself to stay still. He tugged again this time, and she grimaced, but did nothing else. She could smell his hot breath, heavy with the scent of ale. Beraht looked at her in a way as if he were trying to ferret out her true intentions, find some sinister motivation behind her presence. The pain in her scalp deepened, his grip so tight she felt as though he was intent on ripping her hair straight off of her head.

He didn't, though, instead slowly relaxing his expression, if not his hold on her. He moved his head down to her neck and she felt her heart pound. A warm, wet sensation announced his tongue on her skin and she shivered involuntarily, hoping he would take it as arousal instead of revulsion. A low grunt seemed to seal his approval and he finally let go of her hair. Resisting the desire to touch her tender head, she realized she suddenly felt very small and very helpless.

"Strip. Whores in clothes aren't very useful." He was still right next to her, his bulk making her feel confined and hemmed in, but she moved to obey. Undoing the laces quickly, she forced herself to focus on the result of what she was about to do. _We'll be safe, we'll still have our livelihood. Beraht will take care of us after I..._ Swallowing hard, Lani bent down to grab the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head.

The dress had barely slipped off of her hands when a sudden weight on her shoulder forced her to her knees. The quiet sound of leather sliding against metal announced Beraht was undoing the buckle of a belt and she knew what he wanted. "Pull my trousers down, sweetling." She complied, hating the way "sweetling" sounded so very much like "whore," because it's what she _was_, what she was doing this very moment. Before she'd been able to protest, but now... "Open your mouth. If you use your teeth, I'll have every last one of them pulled out before I slit your throat. Do you understand?"

She couldn't stop the tears now, and they stung her eyes as she tilted her head up to look at the man who had used her sister so many times before. "I understand, Beraht." She licked her lips one last time before opening her mouth obediently.

As soon as she felt him on her lips, she steeled herself for rough treatment, readied herself to be used and tossed aside. To her surprise, he didn't, instead moving slowly, deliberately, almost _cautiously_ and the sudden change of treatment made her head reel. She'd come here expecting to be hurt and now he was being gentle with her. _With a whore_. She didn't understand his reasons, and she defenseless against the sudden light touch as the taste of sweat and musk filled her mouth.

His hand was in her hair again, but this time the touch was gentler. "Don't make me do all the work." The edge was in his voice – that hadn't changed at all – but the way he touched her contradicted it so cleanly she wanted to scream. Instead she did as he asked and began to work over his length, trying to remember the few tricks Rica had related to her. She used her tongue over him, sucked with her lips, took him as deeply as she dared to. He was rocking in a steady rhythm and after a while she drew a low groan from him.

When he finally withdrew he was panting hard, and she dared to raise her eyes to him. He looked at her with an expression she'd seen from previous partners – lust, desire, need – but he wore another that was entirely unique. He was _amused_ at the way she was prostrating herself, reveling in her abasement. The monster was back, all softness gone. The caution began to make sense – he probably hadn't wanted his bits bitten off in a fit of roughness.

A sudden slap against her cheek made her gasp and one of his large hands was in her hair again, pulling her towards the bed. She grabbed Beraht's wrist, trying to pull herself up to walk with him. She wasn't weak, by any means, but he was taller than she and felt as if he were just as strong. "Stop struggling, you little slut. You came here to whore and that's exactly what you're going to do."

Straining to breathe the way her back was arching, Lani tried to push into his hand, to lessen the pull, but he shook her roughly and she slumped, hands clinging to his arm. He let go abruptly, dropping her from her strange, scuttling walk to the floor in an instant. Tiny flecks of color filled her vision as her head hit the hard stone. She could see Beraht above her, sinister smile, his arousal obvious to see. She rolled over to her stomach, climbing to her knees as she tried to ignore the pain that surged through her tender head. The soft sound of clothing falling brought Lani's eyes up once more. Beraht had taken off his tunic, the skin of his body pale, bulging and covered with dark hair.

The sight was disgusting, and Lani couldn't bring herself to understand the way Jarvia threw herself at the man. The other woman was vicious and would stop at nothing to further her power, but she acted like a sweet, innocent little thing when she was with Beraht. Lani had seen the coy looks Jarvia had thrown at Beraht, the way she whispered in his ear and teased him with a the brush of her breast against his arm, or her hand against his groin. If, no, _when,_ Jarvia found out Lani had come to Beraht like this, she'd laugh before plotting a way to get rid of any competition. She tolerated her lover's use of his "girls," but Lani was supposed to be a Carta thug that did what she was told, when she was told, and never _ever_ touch Beraht. If there was one thing everyone knew about Jarvia, it was to stay away from anything she considered hers, and Lani was breaking that rule.

Fingers moved while the thoughts crossed her mind, undoing her breastband, the laces of her boots, and finally, sliding off her small clothes. She couldn't help shivering, even with the warmth the room held. Beraht, too, was fully naked. He sat on the edge of the bed, fixing her with a hard look, and she somehow found it within herself to crawl over and set her mouth on him once more.

He was harsher this time, any worry of injury assuaged by her earlier meekness. He forced himself into her mouth, his hips thrusting in a rough, uneven rhythm. She heard him grunting, whispering something, then she was pushed off again, falling flat on her backside. She could see sweat curling the hair around his face, plastering it against his pale skin. Small, dark eyes peered at her, glinting in the light of lamp and fire.

He thrust out a hand towards her and she shied away, her fighting instinct gone from her. She only wanted to get away, to _leave,_ but again, love held her. It was a few moments before she realized Beraht meant for her to take his hand, and she did, barely trusting him.

A quick pull brought her to her feet and he kept pulling until she was standing against him. A smug smile was tugging the corners of his mouth upwards and he shifted back on the bed, stretching out and placing his hands behind his head. "I'm not going to service myself. Hop on."

Hiding way her last bit of dignity, Lani bowed her head and nodded. "Yes, Beraht." Every movement she made towards him felt like a new brand of shame, one that would let everyone know what she had done. Straddling his hips, she took a deep breath. She hoped her face was passive – she could never have managed to look aroused – and she settled onto him.

With a rough thrust he pushed all the way inside her, hands gripping her hips hard. "That's right, do your job." Spit flew from his clenched teeth, flecking her face, but she didn't flinch.

Instead, she moved, just as he ordered. Sweet Stone, she wanted to crawl away and _die_, but she did what she was told, moving over him, pretending he was someone, _anyone_ else. One of his hands moved to a breast, his grip as hard and relentless as ever. It was painful, but it was a welcome moment of a simple emotion to focus on, something to distract from her roiling thoughts.

Whatever she was doing, she could see it taking effect on Beraht. A feral sort of lust had taken the place of cool vindictiveness, and he was driving into her, moving with her so hard it hurt, but she knew it would be over soon. Each of them almost tore at each other, as if competing, her prize the end ofhim inside her, his prize her drawn out debasement.

In the end, she won, drawing a final thrust and shuddering cry from his lips. She snarled down at him, hating everything about him, but inside she felt relief. She was _done_.

Hands that had been on her breast and hip shoved her off and Beraht lay panting hard. Lani felt a trickle of sweat roll down her back and realized _she_ was just as slicked with sweat as he was. Ignoring the throbbing pain between her legs, she lay quietly, quelling the urge to grab her clothes and run out the door.

It was several moments before Beraht heaved his bulk towards her. She could smell him again and her entire body tensed against the renewed closeness. "You're not such a bad little whore, Lani. Nothing like Rica, but she's had a lot more... experience than you." A soft laugh covered the side of her face and ear with his warm breath. He licked her again, this time leaving a trail of saliva over her cheek and she closed her eyes tightly. Teeth sunk into her earlobe, hard, and she let a small cry of pain escape before stifling it again. Another chuckle and he was whispering now. "You think I'm going to let you go after a performance like that?" Lani's anger faltered and she felt as though the wind had been knocked from her lungs. "Now you've shown me you won't bite anything off, you're mine: my new little whore."

Tears welled in Lani's eyes until her vision went blurry, but when she blinked more came. Her next breath was a quiet sob, and Beraht tilted her chin towards him. Barely able to withstand his touch, she raised her eyes to him, her hate for him battling with her shame. She thought she'd won, and maybe she had this once, but she was still a duster, a brand, and he was wealthy and powerful and she _knew_ she wouldn't fully escape his grasp until she was dead or so tired and worn out she'd no longer be useful to him. "Get dressed and leave. I don't want to see your filthy duster face again until I need you."

Lani slid sideways off of the bed as quickly as she could, gathering her various bits of clothing from around the room and tugging them on in a hurry. When she was dressed enough to leave, she turned to the door. Beraht's voice rang through the air again. "Don't think this gets you out of your normal responsibilities, either. You do what I say – _whatever_ I say."

Clinging to the tiniest bit of dignity, she opened the door without a word, closing it behind her even as she heard Beraht curse. Holding her chin high, she began to make her way back to Dust Town. Rica was safe.


End file.
